Tensions escalated in Milwaukee County between the County Executive David Crowley administration and the Mental Health Board over the departure of Behavioral Health Services Administrator Mike Lappen. While the administration maintains that Lappen resigned on March 30, board members and Lappen himself dispute this characterization.
Lappen described being summoned to a conference room where he was presented with a blank resignation form and told he could resign or be fired. He signed the form without knowing the specific reason for the termination. “I have no idea,” Lappen told reporters about what led to his forced departure. Lappen had led the agency since 2016, overseeing major structural changes including the opening of the Mental Health Emergency Center.
During a Thursday board meeting, DHHS Director Shakita LaGrant-McClain refused to explain Lappen’s departure, citing personnel confidentiality. She told the board to move forward and focus on “what’s best for the community, what’s best for our staff, not a person.” Crowley’s chief of staff Mary Jo Meyers went further, telling board members they should evaluate whether they “can continue to support the vision and mission of Milwaukee County” and consider whether to “stay with us on this journey or not.”
Board members expressed frustration at being excluded from key decisions. Chair Kathy Bottoni stated the board has “a role to play and should be informed of important decisions,” noting Lappen’s “unwavering and zealous commitment” to the agency. Board member Ra-Kweku Amoasi said: “The elephant in this room is that nobody thinks that he resigned on his own, that it was a forced resignation.” Mary Neubauer, who has served on the board since its creation in 2014, said it was the first time in over a decade that a county executive’s representative had demanded loyalty, stating: “You know, ‘listen to us and do what we say or leave,’ nobody’s ever done that.”
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://urbanmilwaukee.com/2026/04/25/mke-county-crowley-chief-tells-mental-health-board-to-get-in-line-or-resign/